While the race views are for the most part fantastic as the course parallels the Potomac River this is one of my least favorite races because I don't like any races that require taking a shuttle to the race start....this means I have to get up extra early, get to the shuttle, and often times wait around for an hour or more until the race starts which can suck if like me you are a nervous pooper and like me both years had bathroom issues because of the long time waiting for the race to start and then getting frustrated because of the ridiculously long bathrooms lines and having to sit around outside in the cool weather. Both times I have done this race I have had a not that great experience solely because of these things.
If you aren't a nervous pooper like me and don't mind taking a shuttle and waiting around this is a great race. I ran it again this year because my boyfriend was running it for the first time and so were several people from our run club.
If you thrive on crowd support this race really isn't for you as there really isn't much until you get to Old Town. The post race festivities are always fun especially if the weather is nice. The first year it warmed up and was sunny after the run so it was nice to lie in the grass at the finish line festival and listen to live music and have my complimentary Port City beer. The second time it was pretty cold especially if you are sweaty and didn't bring extra clothes. Pacers always puts on great local races but in my personal opinion having to do a point to point race is not worth the price which is also pretty expensive for a 10 Miler.
 |
| GW Parkway Classic Medal |
The week following the GW Parkway Classic I decided to sign up last minute for the 3rd Annual National Women's Half Marathon exactly one week after the 10 miler. I have a hard time motivating myself to do long runs once summer starts to come in and things get humid in the DMV so signing up for halves and 10 milers is something I do to get my miles.
Anyway this race had a decent price...cheaper than the 10 miler but no free beer. The race started and finished at West Potomac Park in Washington DC at 7AM which sucks if you do not live nearby because Metro doesn't open until 8AM on Sundays and parking is limited. Lucky for me I live about 3 easy miles from the start so race day I jogged over since I wanted to get more miles in anyway but I could've easily biked or scootered over or taken an Uber. It was a rainy spring-like day so I wore my race swag shirt to the start on top of the shirt I planned to wear during the race to keep warm until the race began as normally I don't like the stress of gear check lines and since I didn't like the race sway shirt (fitted) I was fine with leaving it at the start line. When I arrived at the start (about 15 mins to start time) I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a small field of mostly women and that there were plenty of porta potties and very short lines. I easily made my way to the bathroom and did my business and was already warmed up from my jog over.
The race course is pretty scenic as you make your way down and around the tidal basin and back up to Rock Creek Parkway where you run past the Kennedy Center and several miles out until the turn around at about mile 8.5. While not the best of the DC race courses in terms of scenery it was still pretty nice. Perhaps it was because of the rainy conditions or because it was an mostly women's race but there were not too many spectators along the course and most of the runners were pretty quiet. I really enjoyed this as I was listening to the 3rd Game of Thrones book with Audible and the quiet and peacefulness of the race really allowed me to relax and zone into the story. For me this was prefect since I had a stressful work week but for others like one lady on the course it was not that great....this lady started yelling and whining about how the runners were too quiet and how she thought they were lacking motivation. She tried to encourage others to cheer and hoot along with her but I think that many of the runners like me were enjoying the meditation time because no one really joined in with her....so again like the GW Parkway Classic if you thrive on crowd support and energy this may not be the race for you.
When I finished up the race it was starting to rain a bit harder so I found a bike share away from the race course a rode home. Overall I really enjoyed the race experience and would do it again. This race happens to fall on the same weekend as the Flying Pig Marathon/Half Marathon in Cincinnati,OH which is one of my favorite races and I am signed up for next year so I will not be coming back for the National Women's Half in 2020 but encourage you to do so if you are around and are looking for a nice and easy peaceful half marathon.
 |
| Medal for the National Women's Half |
For my next race the boyfriend and I will be traveling to Burlington, Vermont to run the Vermont City Marathon Memorial Day Weekend. I love traveling for races and staying a bit longer to explore the city/state. We've both been to Burlington before so for the majority of our long weekend we are heading to the mountains to check out popular breweries and enjoy nature after the race.
No comments:
Post a Comment